As Christians we may have many denominations and sometimes a few doctrinal differences too.   But God tells us very plainly in His word that we are all part of one family, one community.

1 Corinthians 12:18But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.



Each one of us has a vital role to play in advancing the kingdom of heaven and it is essential we focus more on doing our own part because the Bible also tells us that the rest of the world will know us by our love for one another.  (John 13:35)  We are to edify and uplift our brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to love them just as God loves them, unconditionally and full of grace and mercy, regardless of denominational affiliations.

If we want to make an impact on the world around us,  we must stop comparing our walk of faith with that of other people. We must also, individually and corporately, step into the role God has for us and support each other and the community we live in.  We can't all lead, we can't all follow. We are not all gifted with eloquent words or powerful speech.  But we are all entrusted with something that God has given us.  Step up, stop looking around at what everyone else is doing and follow after God using what He has placed within you to reach the world we all live in.  Imagine the difference we could make if we functioned in harmony and cooperation with one another.

Many Blessings,
Cherry Fargo
Being Remade
(formerly Cherry's Creations)

by Phyllis Ducey
pfdoriginalartworks


One of the greatest gifts I discovered as a Christian was that I am okay just the way I am. After all God created me to be me! When I was a little girl my mother read me the book "Saggy Baggy Elephant" by Kathryn Jackson (a Golden Book). I loved that story! It was about a little elephant that was lost in the woods and a parrot tells him that his nose is too long, his skin is too baggy and his ears are too big. The little elephant becomes aware of how strange he looks, becomes embarrassed and hides. In the end he is found by some wonderful gray elephants that ooh and awe over how beautiful he is. I so hoped that would be how I would be one day... And guess what?

Through Christ I did become beautiful in His eyes. He created me to be the mother of my children, the wife of my husband and the grandmother of my grand babies. I so enjoy feeling comfortable in the skin I'm in because for so many years I was like that little elephant... embarrassed to be me.

God has richly blessed me to have confidence in Him and also has answered my prayers for my children to know Him. My daughter has recently moved and is still living out of plastic tubs, stripping wall paper and painting walls of her close to 100 year old house while meeting the needs of 5 little ones! She is confident in her motherhood and that God created her to be exactly who she is ... even as unconventional as she is. Here is a poem that she wrote the other night.

IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THAT?
by Jeni Peterson

My children - 5 in all - eat most meals out of bowls.
Sometimes my husband takes the kids for ice cream for breakfast.
And there are times I give my children cereal for dinner.
Other times I give them dessert.
Is there something wrong with that?


My children's beds are stacked with books
and blankets instead of neatly made.
Many days in our home are pajama days
And I'm not ALWAYS out of bed before 9 am.
Is there something wrong with that?

My 4 year old and 2 year old like to put yogurt
on the floor in their room and go skating.
When my oldest sings they all dance around her
twirling and bumping into each other.
Is there something wrong with that?

When I try to sneak away for a moment alone
- maybe even the bathroom - they all come running to me
like a herd of elephants (we have wood floors).
Is there something wrong with that?

I tuck each little one in bed safe and sound.
We pray and then I pray that they stay in their beds
BUT when I wake up in the morning
there are no less than 3 in bed with me!
Is there something wrong with that?

My six year old is thankful for his armor that God gave him
as well as the can of pop on the counter.
He also tried to set a world record
for going the longest without changing his underwear.
Is there something wrong with that?

I learned many important things from my mom...
the one I get the most use out of is eating kit kats
and drinking coke for breakfast.
Is there something wrong with that?

The two year old will sneak the baby M & Ms
if he screams loud enough.
That same sneaker had chocolate
ALL over her face after morning snack
- I tried all day to get to a washcloth to her face
but just couldn't get there until bedtime!
Is there something wrong with that?

If I've lost my mind and don't know what else to do
I make them all sit at the table silently
with crayons, paper and/or play-dough.
Is there something wrong with that?

When I plop on the couch they all plop on top of me.
(If you are wondering how many children you can
hold at one time - I've found the answer...
as many as God has given you!)
Is there something wrong with that?

I am who God created me to be.
Is there something wrong with that?

by Jeni Peterson

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand—
when I awake, I am still with you.

Psalm 139:13-18

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by Phyllis Ducey
pfdoriginalartworks

So what really counts? Depends at how you look at life. I recently read a book written by an amazing man who was dying of cancer and had accomplished more than I probably could have in three life times. The book was a combination of leaving a legacy to his young children (who, being so young, would have little memory of him) as well as his way of encouraging others to follow their dreams. I found the book interesting and felt he had a great outlook on life. After all he stayed positive, encouraged many people and helped them to discover, as well as follow, their dreams. Even knowing he was dying his focus was on giving to his family and friends. And really that is all that counts, right?

What really started me thinking about this was after reading HelensCorner’s blog post about attending a tractor show. It contained wonderfully sweet pictures of the event with her husband and son (he is a cutie!). She ended her post (click on this link to read it…you’ll smile: Tractor weekend) stating that her son and husband had a wonderful time and “sometimes that's what counts.”

She is so right… sometimes to wallow in the joy of a family… enjoying the gift of that moment is all that counts. The picture is of grandchild #3 and me spending an afternoon together. We did a little weeding (until she got a mosquito bite and decided it was not worth the threat of getting more), watered plants then plucked some cool looking leaves, painted them, pressed them onto paper and made wonderful creations (the picture at the beginning of this post is the painting I started that afternoon).

When I read Helen’s blog and I thought to myself… yes, sometimes that's what really counts. Then I was reading that book which I enjoyed the author’s theories and tenacity in life but as I got closer to the end… closer to the end of his life (the book was completed prior to his death) my heart sank as I realized he did not write with an eternal perspective. The beautiful legacy in his book he was leaving for his family would equip them for living in many ways but gave them no gear for eternity. To me, though noble from a worldly perspective, it was tragic the efforts he put in to be remembered and to make the transition for his kids easier when he died but yet not leave them the legacy of a Father who would never leave them or forsake them.

Since God assured us, "I'll never let you down, never walk off and leave you," we can boldly quote, God is there, ready to help; I'm fearless no matter what. Who or what can get to me?
Heb 13:5-6 (the Message)

We will all be gone one day. We hope our love remains with each person we care so deeply about but my prayer is not that I will be remembered by my children or grandchildren but that the God I love would be remembered and embraced as their own. If I have left them embracing and loving the Lord, I will know that I have left a beautiful gift with eternal value. I will have left them a gift that will equip them for anything and everything that they will encounter.

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
John 14:3 (NIV)

Because truly… that's what really counts!








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by Rita of sammysgrammy

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 hours in a day is not enough;
remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class
and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly,
he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
and start to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
it into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again
if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand
and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else
He asked once more if the jar was full... The students responded
With an unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table
and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand.
The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things - God, family,
children, health, friends, and favorite passions
Things that if everything else was lost
and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --
The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued,
'there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are
important to you..

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time
to clean the house and fix the dripping tap.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

One of the students raised her hand
and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

'I'm glad you asked'.

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,
there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.'

NEED I SAY MORE???

GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

Sing and laugh today-it's good for your heart!


XOXOXO, HANK AND DAFF